That"s not very traditional! New research reveals that Italian spaghetti bolognese is the UK"s favourite winter dish

Comfort food season is officially here! Cold, dark nights see Brits turn to warming meals – and spaghetti bolognese tops the list as our favourite winter dishSpag bol is the nation's favourite winter warmer, new study showsCasserole and curry make up the rest of the top three

PUBLISHED:

13:47 GMT, 30 October 2012

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UPDATED:

13:47 GMT, 30 October 2012

Today is the day that we officially bring comfort food back onto our home cooking menu, a study has found.

As the nights draw in and the weather turns colder our thoughts move from salad to stews in an attempt to keep out the winter chill.

But while traditional British dishes like casserole and shepherd's pie feature large among our top dishes, the study found that it is spaghetti bolognese that is now the nation's favourite one pot supper – with 60 per cent of us singling the Italian dish out as our top choice.

Traditional casseroles slip into second
place with 58 per cent saying they love to indulge in the one pot
wonder, followed by curry, shepherd's pie, soup, chilli and lasagne.

The popularity of
one pot cooking has soared in recent years, with 50 per cent of people
cooking more one pot dishes now than they did five years ago.

60 percent of
Brits also confessed to cooking comfort food at least once a week during winter, according to the research carried out by Knorr.

'We all start to crave hearty, warming food around the time
when the clocks go back – as sales of Knorr have shown this is the time
of year when people start making comfort food,' commented celebrity chef, Marco Pierre White.

'It’s no wonder the nation has started to embrace this simple but effective method of cooking!'

The nation's favourite: spaghetti bolognese has beaten traditional dishes such as casserole to the top spot

WINTER WARMERS: THE UK'S FAVOURITE COMFORT CUISINE

1. Spaghetti bolognese

2. Casserole

3. Curry

4. Shepherd's Pie

5. Soup

6. Chilli

7. Lasagne

8. Pie

9. Hot Pot

10. Risotto

Along with craving a little extra warmth on chilly days, the economic downturn has also been cited as one of the main reasons for the return to one pot cooking.

60 per cent of respondents to the survey cited cash flow as a reason to turn to cheaper, hearty fare such as soup.

Another 30 per cent added that they've returned to a back-to-basics approach to cooking since the recession hit.

Thrift is another factor in the renaissance of one pot fare, with 59 per cent saying that they're more mindful of wasting food now than they were five years ago.

Almost a quarter of Brits now say they never throw away food.

Although the recession has clearly had
an impact, green campaigns such as Love Food, Hate Waste have also made
their mark, with many of the comfort foods on the list benefitting from
the addition of leftovers, and a third of respondents admitting to throwing in whatever they happen to have on hand.